A Quarterlife Odyssey in New England

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Follow up question: after seeing such a great depiction of people in love, does it really matter who is behind the camera? To me, this love is a million times more legitimate than Britney Spears’s 55-hour marriage, Kim Kardashian’s 72 day sham, and Larry King’s 8 weddings. Can you honestly tell me that those people are more deserving of whatever holy, government honor that marriage implies than are the people in this Australian ad for marriage equality?

Here’s hoping that by the time I have kids, they won’t have to grow up watching their friends and loves ones being discriminated against because of whose hand they choose to hold at the end of the day.

Zach Wahls proved that point with poise and eloquence when he spoke up in the Iowa state legislature against a bill that would make civil unions illegal, referencing his own childhood being raised by two women along with a list of accomplishments that would make any parent proud.

As Valentine’s Day gets closer, take a minute to sign this petition supporting everyone’s right to get married. Gay or straight, we all deserve to be treated the same under the law. As Zach pointed out here, having great parents who are in a happy marriage is what matters – not what gender those parents are.

Variety is the spice of life, right? It’s what keeps things interesting. Some of my friends grew up eating lots of Italian food, some of them grew up on the West Coast, some of them were raised Jewish, and some of them are taller than me (few are shorter).

And some of them like people of the same sex.

I love that we live in a diverse country, a melting pot where people of different backgrounds, interests, and ideas can all meet under the same roof. But I cannot stand to see how this one group in our society is being treated like second class citizens and told they’re not good enough just because they love people of the same sex.

Worst of all, the arguments that the haters use to defend themselves are EXACTLY like those that were previously used to dismiss the possibility of interracial marriage. That it’s unnatural, it’s not what God intended, it will lead to a corrupt society and confused children. Yet, somehow, the world didn’t collapse when we give interracial couples the freedom to marry. In fact, it got a lot more interesting, in a good way. So what are we so worried about, what exactly will we lose if we give more people the opportunity to be happy?

Many celebrities have spoken out about the recent rash of suicides among young gay people who were bulled by their peers. Ellen Degeneres and Chris Colfer (from Glee) both released videos about the need to stop the bullying and create a culture of acceptance in society. But a video from Sarah Silverman spoke to me even more.

While the other celebrities focus on the need to stop the bullying, Sarah gets to the core of why it is happening. It’s because, as she says, that we’re raising kids in a society where we tell them that gay people are second class citizens. These kids aren’t deciding this by themselves – they hear it from their politicians and voters around the country who say that gay people don’t deserve to be married. They don’t deserve to adopt kids. They should be forced to lie about who they are, especially if they are in the military and fighting for the principles that this country is based on.

It makes me sick that in 2010, we should still be arguing about this. Haven’t we evolved enough to realize that equality is the best practice, and inclusion, rather than segregation, will make us a better nation if not a better world?

Please, when you vote next month, vote for people who promise not to harbor hate and fear, but instead vow to celebrate our differences.

PS: For resources to inspire you to keep living, check out Hopeline – PostSecret always talks about what a great resource it is for people going through hard times. As Chris Colfer says, it always gets better.

About me:

I love my life in Boston.

I am:
- a runner
- a budget traveler
- a bookworm
- an eternal optimist
- trying to make a difference in the world